Don't Do Anything Stupid
by PeaceAndPancakes
Summary: In district one tributes are trained. They are hand picked and spend years preparing for the Games. There is glory and honor in being picked to volunteer, in risking your life for another, for your district. He wasn't supposed to volunteer but he did... oops!
1. Don't Do Anything Stupid

My head shot up as a glint of sliver shot across the horizon. In one fluid motion, I leapt from my post and slid down the ladder to the platform below. The second my feet hit the aged boards, they were on the move again.

Down a set of stairs, around a corner and down another. I began to get dizzy as I threw my body toward the ground, gaining speed at every turn, almost losing my balance as I neared the bottom. Seven stories down, three to go. This is why there are supposed to be two of us here.

The Capital's trains had a habit of showing up when we least expected. As the district that supplied luxury items, we were expected to have the load ready when the train pulled into the station. The inventory taken, the boxes marked, a gift for the conductor, and most importantly; we were expected to be ready to get that train back to the Capital as soon as possible.

My boots hit the dirt and I took off in the direction of the small hut. I skidded to a halt just inside the door to catch my breath before I reached for the phone.

"Train. About two hours out," I managed to get out as soon as someone picked up the other end.

Immediately, I could hear a bell sounding in the background as the person on the other end thanked me. I think it was Iwan but I couldn't be sure. The exchange was short and it was soon time to climb back up the tower.

Before leaving the hut, I grabbed one of the small sacks off of the table, my self-imposed rations, and began the long trek back to my post. A naive person would think that once a train has been spotted and the district alerted, that we would be in the clear for a few days. Wrong! Every once in a while a second train would come an hour or so after the first. This happened every time a new fad began. The citizens of the capital go nuts for some of the things we make and as the demand goes up, more trains show up. A few months back we had three in one day.

I dropped my sack when I reached the top of the tower and scanned the scenery for a sign of the train. From my vantage point I could see the town down in the valley below and to my left, my eyes quickly picked out the train station. It was the hub of the town, roads lead to it from all directions, littered with carts taking goods to the warehouses across the street where everything that was headed to the capital was stored before being packed into the many train cars that sat the tracks. I followed the tracks north to the edge of town, through fields, past the tall fence that meant the end of the district and into the trees where they disappeared. Obscured by trees and hills, it would be easy for a train to sneak up if it wasn't for the lookout tower and the splendid view of the valley that it provided. There! Winding its way between two of the smaller hills was the train.

Satisfied that I had given them enough time to prepare, I reached into the sack and pulling out a half stale load of bread and bit into it. I picked around the harder portions of the loaf as I ate, seeking the softer bread. That's the other reason that there is supposed to be two of us here. But since I was alone, I didn't get the luxury of heading to town for fresh food. I had just the food that I carried up with me and whatever scraps the people before me left behind.

As I chucked the remains of the bread over the side the wind picked up and I sunk back against the rocky cliff that the tower was attached to the side of, instantly thankful for its presence. It had saved my life on more than one occasion.

I waited for the wind to die down before taking my usual place at the center of the small platform that was twice my height in length and a little over my height in depth. I measured it once. Well, more than once, it does get boring up here after all. I could also tell you that the ladder has exactly 43 rungs, including the broken one that is 7 from the top.

I folded my legs in front of me and straightened my back as I settled into the familiar position. It was a game. How long could I sit here, not moving, not eating, not drinking, not sleeping. My record was three days. If I allowed myself water I could last a week, if I changed the rules and allowed myself one loaf of bread I could last two.

This was put to the test two years ago when my replacements never showed up. It was during the Hunger Games and I guess they just forgot about me. I came up the day after the Reaping and was supposed to go home one week later but no one came to relieve me. I remained up here for five weeks straight. That was the year of the second Quarter Quell. We had put out four times the usual number of trains filled to bursting leading up to it and as a reward the capital gave us a holiday of sorts, not sending for more until the Quell was well over with.

No one had noticed my absentness and I didn't blame them. That was the year my only sister, Adina, who had been training since she was 10, was selected to be one of the tributes for District 1. She wasn't supposed to go, there was another girl, one who was stronger who was selected to volunteer but when it was announced that the Quell would have twice the number of tributes Adina was their second pick. I hear that she did really well too. They tell me that I should be proud of her. She came in second, almost first but was killed by her own ax in some sort of accident.

I never saw it, I was up here. I also don't blame my parents for forgetting me at the time. They had more important things to worry about.

Much to their relief, I was never chosen to be trained for the games. When I was 10, the year they start picking kids to train, I was the shortest kid in my grade. My stick like arms would never swing a sword or throw a spear the way that they would like. Thankfully, I was able to slip under their radar. In the seven years since then I grew quite a bit, no longer the shortest in the class. And, thanks to all the running and climbing my job as lookout required, my arms and legs actually looked like those of my peers.

In the dimming light, I caught the gleam of the train as it made its way back toward the capital, laden down with fabrics, jewels, and other pointless things that the people of the capital loved to much.

Shortly after dawn broke my eyes darted from the sleepy town below to the shine of an approaching train moving much faster than usual. Without thinking, my body jumped into action but something stopped me at the top of the ladder. A figure was slowly making its way up. Very slowly.

"Climb faster!" I yelled down, not caring how rude I sounded. "There's a train coming."

The person on the ladder paused for a second and then continued up. I waited about thirty seconds and he still wasn't up the ladder. Impatiently, I headed to the rope that connected to a bell down in the hut. When pulled the bell would ring, notifying the second man on duty to call because a train was coming. I never used the bell because either my partner failed to show up or was passed out drunk on the single bed in the hut. He wasn't the most reliable guy in the district.

My hand closed around the rope but a voice stopped me. "Don't."

I released the rope and turned to face the man. It was Moran, a victor, 42nd games if I remember correctly.

"It's the tribute train." He explained as he pulled himself onto the platform. "Today's the Reaping and you should get going if you want to make it in time."

The Reaping. Was it really time for that again?

I nodded my understanding and made for the ladder.

Even though we had trained tributes it was still bad form to miss the Reaping. When Lamorac, District 1's escort read your name off of the paper you were still to go to the stage. It was then that the volunteer chosen for that year would speak up and go in your place. It showed that they were strong, that they were willing to sacrifice themselves for you, and made your family feel indebted to theirs.

"Good luck!" A second man yelled from the doorway of the hut when I reached the bottom of the tower. I laughed, it was a game in its self to bet on who would get their name picked from the orbs. You got to feel special for the duration of the games because there was someone out there who was sacrificing himself for you. So you could go on living, it was an honor to get your name picked.

I waved to him before taking off on a run down the winding dirt path. It was five miles from where the tower stood to the edge of town, mostly because of the rocky terrain that it had to curve through. I had to stop when I came to the gate to the district. I dug around in my pant pocket to find my work card.

"Don't want you to be late for the Reaping." The Peacekeeper smiled at me as he handed the paper back. I thanked him, jammed it back into my pocket and took off again. I was one of the few people who were allowed outside of the district. Knowing when the trains arrived was so important that we were allowed to build a tower on the side of a mountain outside of our boarder. It was a privilege to get to go there, one I was thankful for, and we had to check in with the guard at the beginning and end of our shift.

I slowed to a jog when I entered the town partly because I had to weave my way around groups of people. The early arrivals to the Reaping. As I approached my home, I scanned the crowed for any sign of my parents or younger brother.

"Nice call on the train!" Iwan hollered from the other side of a giggling group of girls. I navigated around the group to join my friend. "You gave us more than enough time to get it ready."

"Thanks," I smiled, glad to see and speak to another human. "It's these eagle eyes." I tapped the corner of my eye.

"That's because you have no other talents," he joked. "They had to give you something!"

I laughed at the insult and was about to respond with something regarding his lack of brains when I saw them. My mother had a tight grip on my brother, Evan, and my father was staring at a paper in his hands, his brow furrowed and his lips pressed together.

"See you at the Reaping," I parted ways with Iwan and headed for them. "What's going on?" I asked looking from one parent to the other.

"I…he…" My mom could barely get the words out. I looked to my dad for an answer but he was still looking at the paper.

"Evan?" I leaned my face down toward the 10 year olds.

I looked into the eyes of my only remaining sibling and waited for him to answer. "They picked me to train for The Games! Isn't that great! I get to start right after this Games is over!"

I plastered a fake smile on my face to hide my terror. "That's wonderful! You are sure to get picked as tribute and I have to doubt that you'll win!"

I had to say it. There was no other choice. To him getting the chance to train and possibly take part in The Hunger Games was the best thing that could happen. He was eight when Adina took part in hers and he watched every minute in awe. She was his hero and he wanted to be just like her. It's a bit depressing knowing that your little brother wants to be more like his sister than brother but I guess when you look at the honor and glory that comes with taking part in the games and coming close winning them, there was no way I could compete.

The truth was I was pissed. I didn't even complain when my mother began trying to get some of the dirt out of my dark hair. First the Capital took away Adina and now they are going to do the same to Evan. He would be whisked away to a training center on the outskirts of town where they would spend the next 7 years training him to be a killer. They would rip him of his innocence and turn him into a monster. I have met the others and they are not people I would ever call my friends. Even with Adina, toward the end of her training she had transformed. She was a completely different person, one that I wanted nothing to do with.

The day she volunteered as tribute was the day that I volunteered as lookout during the Quill.

"I wish you had gotten here sooner," Mom seemed to have recovered from Evan's news. "There is no time to change." She gave my shirt one last brush and I watched a cloud of dirt loosen from the cloth. She frowned.

"It's not like anyone is going to look at me." I tried to lighten the mood.

She smiled and turned me in the direction of the town center. "Come back here and change and then meet us at the Gravaine's after, they have invited us."

I rolled my eyes. Mrs. Gravaine was my mother's oldest friend and the two of them had this sick fantasy that involved me falling in love with her daughter, Tine. To say that I felt no attraction to the girl was an understatement, it probably didn't help that she was constantly throwing herself at Iwan.

Speaking of Iwan, he was still standing where I left him. Apparently he was waiting for me so I headed in his direction but not before my father yelled to me. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"I have no idea what he is talking about." I said in an offhanded way to Iwan when I reached him.

"I can't think of a single thing either." We exchanged smiles. There was a 98% chance that he was referring to last year when we almost missed the Reaping. We had been out at the train station trying to get a look inside the tribute train. Just as Iwan was attempting to scale the side of one of the cars, a capitol worker spotted us and we fled as fast as we could toward the town center. We had arrived just as Lamorac was sticking his hand into the orb with the girls' names in it.

We followed the flow of the crowd, trying to pass the slower walkers. We passed familiar faces, all excited to see who this year's tributes and volunteers were going to be. Of course the families of the volunteers knew that it was their child, but to the rest of the citizens of One it was a surprise. People made a game out of trying to guess which one it was. A game that I had once taken part in until it was my sister.

Several times we passed a young boy or girl, raving to their friends about being chosen to train to be a tribute. The joy with which they said it made my stomach churn.

"They picked Evan." I said once we had reached the square and took our place among the others. "They are going to train him."

Iwan placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Sorry," he said with a sympatric smile. He had an older sister who had been friends with Adina and knew all too well the changes that she had undergone.

We waited for the Reaping to begin.

"Whose name do you think is going to be picked?" Someone to my right asked his friends.

"I'm hoping its Barron. It looks like he's about to mess himself!" My eyes followed the direction they were looking and I found a boy of about thirteen. He was shaking, clearly frightened. He had nothing to worry about though; even if his name was called he wouldn't be the one going in to the arena.

Curious, I began looking around to see who would be going in. I scanned the group around me and my eyes found them.

They were standing a few feet away, there were four of them. They all had the same tall, broad build. One of them had a neck as thick as my midsection; another looked as though he could snap me in half with no effort at all. This is who they were going to turn my little brother into.

A silence came over the gathered crowd as the mayor, Lamorac, and two of our victors, Brutus and Patina took the stage. While the other took a seat, the mayor walked up to the microphone and began to tell the story of Panam and the Hunger Games. Having heard it over and over again, I zoned out and found myself staring at the one earring in Lamorac's left ear. It was an ugly thing, big, red, shinny, dangling, ugliness. But I found that the more I concentrated on it, the more I wanted to know what it was.

The reading of the victors' names snapped me back into the real world. I clapped politely with the rest of the citizens of One, dreading when the Reaping would end and I would have to go to the Gravaine's house. I was tempted to show up in all my dirty, smelly, two weeks without a shower glory but the threat of having to face the wrath of my mother was more than enough to push that thought out of my mind.

The mayor took his seat and was replaced by Lamorac who promptly walked over to the orb with the girl's names in it. Tine was staring at us, well more at Iwan than me, but that was perfectly fine. I nudged his arm and nodded in her direction. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Up on the stage Lamorac was fumbling as he tried to unfold the paper using his overly long orange fingernails. Finally he got it by placing it flat on his palm and flicking it with the end of a nail.

"Azile Wert." He read aloud.

I watched as a girl who had to be around twelve raced to climb the stage. The people in the square cheered as her face smiled at them from the large screens placed around the square, myself included.

As it quieted, Lamorac spoke again. "Does anyone volunteer to take young Azile's place as tribute?"

There was a short pause before a girl spoke up. Once again the square burst into applause. The volunteer took Azile's place on the stage and introduced herself as Gemma Ettard.

She was on the smaller side for a Career but the way she moved hinted at her power. She might be small but she could probably take out someone twice her size in the time it took them to realize what was happening.

Lamorac crossed to the other orb and retrieved another paper. As he set about trying to open it, I turned me attention back to the group of trained kids next to me. I scanned their faces trying to see which one would be the one to volunteer. Finally he managed to open the paper read the name of the boy tribute. I paid only enough attention to know that it wasn't me. As the boy took the stage, one of the ones I was watching leaned forward. He was clearly the one who was chosen to volunteer as this year's male tribute.

I knew him. His name was Lexar and he was in the same year as me. In fact he and his training buddies were considered the popular crowd. And I, a kid who often showed up to school after being absent for weeks at a time thanks to my lookout job, was often the target of their affections.

Well, it was more my sister than me. There was not a day where one of them didn't make a crack about how some stupid, half dead kid from Twelve managed to outsmart her. I had been hoping for the day that they would get what was coming to them and this was going to be that day.

I watched as a grin of anticipation spread across Lexar's face. No doubt eager to hear the cheers as he approached the stage.

"Don't do anything stupid!" My father's voice echoed in my ears. This wasn't stupid. It was the most brilliant thing I have ever thought of. How else does one piss off an entire district where they spend years training kids to murder other kids just so that they can say that they are the strongest.

Lamorac once again asked if there were any volunteers.

A smile spread across my face as Lexar opened his mouth.

To slow, I thought as I filled my lungs and shouted, "I volunteer!"

* * *

**Hey guys! This is my first Hunger Games inspired story and the future of it depends on if enough people like it. The story lives in my head so it doesn't matter to me if it gets typed out or not so if no one is interested then I won't write it. (I'm not begging for reviews here, I'm just stating a fact.) However, if I see that there is interest then I will continue to put my overactive imagination into words for you all.**

**Peace and Pancakes.**


	2. Welcome To The Capital

When the words left my mouth a roar erupted from those gathered in the square. The people had heard my voice and were eager to see who this years' tribute was, too bad that they were going to be very disappointed.

Almost on cue, the cheers started to fade out as images of my face filled the giant screens.

"Well, come on up!" Lamorac beckoned me forward, oblivious to what the entire District just realized.

I turned to Iwan to see his reaction but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were fixed on the stone beneath his feet. I was positive that he was upset with me and would never speak to me again; I hoped he understood why I did it. I glanced at him one last time before heading toward the stage. No one applauded as I walked by; instead I felt their eyes burning into my flesh. Most of them were probably wishing that I trip and crack my head open or something, anything so that the rightful tribute could compete.

I mounted the stage and took my place beside Gemma. My eyes once again found Iwan in the crowd. He still refused to look at me. A few people away, Lexar and the other trained kids were glaring at me, making me thankful that there were no weapons lying around.

I was the boy who just cut my Districts chance of winning in half. More than half actually. Traditionally, both tributes teamed up and picked off the others District by District. I had no chance of living past the bloodbath and they all knew it.

Lamorac gave my grubby clothes and dirt covered flesh a once over before asking me to introduce myself to Panam. Now that he was close, I could make out the entire shape of his earring. It hung down to his shoulder and was made up of a series of bright red gems carved to resemble human faces, each about the size of the nail on my little finger. I was right before, it was ugly. Just like the rest of his red and orange attire.

I found Iwan again and noticed that he was finally looking at me. Directly at me. Perfect eye contact over the heads of those gathered in the square, unblinking, a stare that let me know exactly how he felt.

"Luca Accalon." I stared right back as I answered the question that all of Panam was wondering.

No one knew what to do. Normally they would clap for the volunteer but they knew that I wasn't supposed to be the one standing on the stage.

I watched as a smile spread across Iwan's face. "Luca!" He yelled, throwing his fists in the air in celebration.

That seemed to do the trick. At once the people of One began cheering and shouting my name.

It took Lamorac a few minutes to quite them enough to continue the Reaping ceremony. After he made the closing remarks, it was time for me to shake hands with Gemma. I regretted doing it but I had to break the eye contact with Iwan to do so.

Gemma's slender fingers gripped mine, harder than necessary, in a message that was clear. We were not partners, we were not allies, I was on my own.

She quickly dropped my hand and we were ushered into the Justice Building. I had been in this building twice in my life. The first time happened exactly two years ago when we came to say our goodbyes to my sister. My mother had been crying hysterically, my father with his arm around her didn't seem to even be present in the room, Evan on the other hand ran right up to her and started telling her all about how proud he was that his sister got to be in the Games and that he was going to watch every second of it. I had stood by the door, watching as my family spoke to my childhood playmate.

The second time I was here was during the victory tour for the Quell. We received some sort of award for having a family member in the top four. My parents didn't want to go in to get it so they had sent me. The first person I saw when I entered that building a year and a half ago was Haymitch Abernathy. He smiled at me and it seemed like he wanted to say something but a Peacekeeper entered the room.

"You boy, what are you doing here?" His question was directed at me.

"I was asked to come, Sir. My sister was-"

"Yes, yes." He interrupted, "come with me." He then placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me down the hall to a room where the mayor handed me a piece of paper with a bunch of words on it that I have never bothered to read.

Now I was headed down that same hallway. I was directed into room and left by myself. I spun a few times not quite sure what to do before deciding to make myself comfortable in one of the chairs. From what I remember this was one of the rooms that the tributes said their goodbyes in. Not the same one Adina had but close.

It wasn't long before the door opened. I looked up expecting Iwan to enter, instead it was a group of adults whom I had never seen before. I stood and did a quick count, spotting 7 males and 7 females.

"Thank you." A man in a dark green jacket whispered. The woman by his side sniffled.

Why on earth would this man thank me? I stared at him, dumbfounded. The woman pulled a lace handkerchief from her pocket and patted her eyes. Eyes that looked familiar; like the ones that had been wishing me dead a few minutes ago.

"I had too." I answered as it hit me.

These were some of the parents of the kids who had been chosen to train for The Games. As I looked at them I spotted familiar noses, eyes, and chins. It seemed that not everyone in the District was mad at me. These were the faces of parents who were thankful that their child would be safe for another year. Some, like Lexar's, glad that their child never had to go to the Games. They were families like mine. Torn apart by the Districts desire for fame and glory.

We stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say to each other. I was relieved when a Peacekeeper ushered them from the room.

"Too bad one of us isn't a girl because then we could have gone in together." Iwan joked as the door shut behind him.

"I think we could pass you of as one," I responded. "All we'd need is a wig and dress, I'm thinking blue with lace." I pulled him into a hug.

"Lace is more your type of thing," he laughed, releasing me.

"Iwan, I had to do it." I felt the need to explain my actions to my oldest friend.

Iwan began fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. "I know." He looked up and a smile spread across his face. "And don't worry, I will take care of Tine for you. We wouldn't want her getting all sad and lonely."

I snorted back my laughter. "No, we wouldn't want that." The chances of her noticing that I wasn't' there were slim, although it might make it harder for her to stalk Iwan. She had a habit of showing up at our house and asking my mother when I was because she knew that I was probably with Iwan.

We fell into our easy banter that we had since the first day we met; neither of us really wanting to talk about the current situation.

Too soon the Peacekeeper returned. "See you on the other side." I said shaking his hand. He nodded and followed the Peacekeeper out. We both know that the chances of me coming back alive were nonexistent. Coming from a richer District I was slightly better off than the tributes from some of the higher Districts like 11 and 12 but I would still bet on myself dying during the first hour in the arena.

The next person to enter the room was Even. He rushed over to me and began talking faster than my mind could process. I blinked a few times before shoving him into one of the chairs and telling him to slow down a bit.

"I didn't know that you were going to volunteer. Isn't it so cool that you get to be in the Games now, just like Adina was? I hope I get to be in them too! It would be amazing if all three of us got to do it, don't you think so?"

No.

"Yeah Ev. That would be awesome." I sunk into one of the chairs. Glancing up, I noticed my parents were standing in the same place by the door that I had stood two years ago. I was about to say something to them but Even burst into another one of his long winded monologues about how great being a tribute was.

It was better that he viewed the Games this way for as long as he could. It was after all how most of the District's population looked at it.

"That's enough." My mother stepped forward and but a hand on his head. "Luca, promises me that you will clean up on your way to the Capital. We can't have them thinking that we live like the people of 12." Leave it to my mother to bring up my appearance.

"Sure mom, as soon as I can."

Just then the Peacekeeper returned to usher them out. She pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head before leading Evan from the room.

"Son," my father paused in the doorway. "I'm very proud of you." I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Thanks Dad." The Peacekeeper pulled him from the room and I was alone yet again.

What I did next I could not tell you because I turned off my mind. Physically, I was led from the room, out of the Justice Building, and into a waiting car. I remember Lamorac, and Gemma were with me, I don't know where Brutus and Patina were but they must have been close because they arrived at the train station when we did. There were faces, hundreds of faces each staring, cheering, eager to watch me die.

The first conscious thought that I had since speaking to my father happened when I was standing stark naked under boiling water. I jammed my finger into buttons, not caring what they did in hopes that one of them would turn the temperature down before my face melted. I'm not so sure that this is what my mother had in mind when she told me to clean up. I wonder if a tribute has ever shown up with third degree burns. I hit a button and was rewarded with a squirt of lilac scented soap in my left eye.

Somehow, I managed to get all the soap off of me without burning myself too badly and dressed in some of the clean clothes that I found in a drawer. I vaguely remembered Lamorac saying something about dinner and set out for the dining car.

When I arrived I found Lamorac and Patina deep in conversation. They looked up when I entered.

"Luca! Come join us." Lamorac enthusiastically beckoned me to the table. I slid into a chair across the table from them and reached for a platter of some kind of roasted meat that smelled amazing.

"Your name seems familiar." He stated once I had finished my first plate.

"My sister was in the Quill." I answered flatly and began loading it up a second time.

"That's right!" the man in red exclaimed. "I remember now, the girl with the axe. Put on a great show, she did." He sipped from a wine glass and I went back to eating. How he could view my sister running around murdering people as a 'good show' was beyond me.

"You know," he continued. "She was a very pretty girl. Wouldn't you agree Patine?"

"She was." The former tribute spoke for the first time. Her voice was cold and I could tell that she didn't like me being there. "And she was a lot better mannered than the others that year, until she got in the arena anyway."

"She did go a little bonkers in there," Lamorac laughed. My stomach lurched and my dinner threatened to return to my plate. "The Capital is going to love this! The brother of an almost victor entering the arena to in search of the glory that managed to slip through his sisters fingers. Oh! It gives me tingles!"

I set my fork down and chose not to respond.

"I have never seen someone from One eat like you! Did your family not feed you?" One more word about my family and he would be cleaning pudding off of his violent red jacket.

Instead I asked him the one thing I had been wondering since I sat down. "Where are Brutus and Gemma?"

"You first." Patina responded leaning her arms on the table.

"I work on the watch tower. I was up there for a week with only bread and a few apples. I got back just before the Reaping began." I answered quickly so we could move onto my question.

Patina narrowed her eyes at me. "You're the boy Moran talks about. The one who goes up there alone."

It wasn't a question. I nodded anyway. Why was Moran talking to other victors about me? What interest could they possibly have in a kid who sits on the top of a tower for long periods of time? It's not the more thrilling job in the world.

"They are dining in the lounge car. Brutus has been training Gemma and Lexar for over a year for these Games. Their entire strategy was planned out, from when they first shake hands after the Reaping to when they break away from the pack and who they would target first. You messed that up." Patina leaned forward as she spoke.

"Sorry?" I offered not caring that I messed up their great plan.

She ignored me. "Brutus has refused to have anything to do with you. In his opinion you can die during the blood bath."

"And you?" I was beginning to fear that she too would abandon me. I had been counting on getting a little bit of help from them. Something to make me feel like I had a fighting chance.

She seemed to consider both me and my question for a minute. It took all of my self control not to wiggle under the gaze of the victor.

"I haven't decided yet." She slid out her chair, "come, the recap of the Reaping will be on soon."

This made Lamorac come out if his trance. He had been staring at me ever since he dropped out of the conversation. "But the TV-"

"I had them put a second one in my quarters." With that she swept us from the room and led us down the train.

I didn't want to watch the Reaping. I didn't want to hear myself call out. I didn't want to see the faces of the other tributes. We gathered around the small TV that had been brought in and waited in silence for the recap to begin.

Soon after we got comfortable The Capital seal came on and a voice that I recognized from previous years but had no name to connect to it came on and began to introduce the Reapings. My district was up first.

I watched as Azile's name was read and Gemma volunteered in her place. There was a quick reaction shot of the people gathered in the square applauding for her. The next scene had Lamorac reading the boy's name, Cal Aldean. He was a scrawny kid, no older than thirteen and he had the biggest smile plastered on his face. No doubt excited that he was the one whose name was chosen. There was pause and the Lamorac on screen asked for a volunteer.

On the television my voice sounded five times as loud as it was. The initial cheers of the crowd once again died down as realized it was me. As I watched it, it seemed longer than it had been the first time. I watched myself mount the stage and announce my name to Panam. I expected it to cut to District Two then but the camera lingered on my face for a few seconds before cutting to Iwan right before he yelled my name. The ridiculousness of his reaction caused me to start laughing. I'm going to miss him. I glanced over at Patina and noticed a small smile on her face.

It then moved on to Districe Two, then Three. I stopped paying attention after a while, I didn't want to look at their faces and play the game of guess which tribute is going to behead you.

When the telecast concluded, Patina turned to me. "I'm going to help you," she stated before sending me off to bed with the promise that we would talk more over breakfast.

On my way to my room I spotted Gemma who promptly turned and went the other way. It was probably best that we kept our distance, that way she wouldn't have a chance to stab me before we got into the arena.

Maybe with Patina's help I could survive the first day of the Games. Who knows, I might even make it through the first night too. I fell asleep that night with these new possibilities drifting through my mind. Sadly, when I went to breakfast the next morning these dreams were crushed.

Patina spent the first hour of the day asking how good I was with every weapon she could think of, swords, axes, spears, bows, and maces to name a few. She even had me try throwing one of the knives from the table. When it thudded against the wall and fell uselessly to the floor, she rubbed her forehead with her hand.

"How are you with hand to hand combat?" she was getting desperate.

I suppressed a laugh. I could wrestle Iwan with a 50% chance of winning but then again we neither of us had any sort of training in it, nor were we trying to kill our opponent.

"This is worse than I thought." I didn't have to speak for her to know my answer.

"At least you are well fed," Lamorac laughed, rubbing his eyes as he entered the car. I assumed he had been with Brutus and Gemma.

This seemed to put Patine in farther despair. "Can you hunt? Gather your own food? Plenty tributes coming from well to do families end up starving to death in the arena."

Maybe I wasn't going to make it through the first day after all.

"Didn't you say that you only had a little food on that tower of yours?" Lamorac spoke up. "Oh! My contact!" The man who was dressed in all green today began fumbling around the carpet in search of it.

"Yeah but I won't be given any at the start of the Games. It's just in front of your right knee." I answered as I spotted the green tinted contact against the blue of the carpet.

"In that case we will have to make sure that you get something to eat." Patina smiled for the first time that morning.

Lamorac replaced the contact in his eye and launched into a description of what would happen when we arrived at The Capital. I was to meet my prep team who would make me presentable before meeting my stylist and getting dressed in my costume for the opening ceremony.

Right, I thought, the opening ceremony where the tributes are paraded in front of all of Panam while wearing ridiculous costumes that represented their District. At least I wouldn't be dressed as a tree like those from Seven.

The train plunged into darkness and Lamorac explained that we had just entered the tunnel to The Capital and would be arriving any minute now. Soon the darkness was replaced by colors, too bright and too many. Curious, I wandered over to the window to get a better look.

It was like nothing that I could ever imagine. I stared in awe and the tall buildings that lines the streets, each a different shade of colors that I had no name for. And the people! They were everywhere; rushing to the side of the tracks as the train passed. Dressed in the most ridiculous outfits they could find. I spotted someone dressed as a bear, complete with ears and fur, another like a lizard, their skin resembling scales.

Here and there I spotted familiar items. The lace collar on a shirt that was made in One, a hideous silver monkey statue and perched on someone's shoulder that served no purpose, also made in One. Most of the things that we made were pointless. Nothing more than symbols of wealth and status.

Lamorac put a hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to The Capital!"


	3. The Opening Ceremony

"Now you are looking like a tribute from One!" A women with bright blue hair chirped through lips of the same hue. I smiled back not knowing how else respond.

The second I had stepped off of the train, I was rushed to the training building and lead to a room where my prep team awaited. The blue haired woman, who introduced herself as Festa, took one look at me and demanded that I take a shower and not come out until I had scrubbed every inch of my being. Apparently I hadn't done a good enough of a job on the train.

With my flesh rubbed pink, I emerged to find their eager faces ready to get to work on me.

"I was a little frightened at first, but you're the easiest we have had in years!" A man with large diamonds where his finger nails should be put a strange gel in my hair. It was hard to tell through his accent but I think he called himself Serna when he introduced himself.

"Really?" I spoke for the first time in the half hour since I had left the train.

"Yes. Your skin has a nice even shade to it, I've never seen someone from one with skin this color before. Your tributes are usually very pale and we have to do so much to give them a little life." He finished with my hair and stepped back. "What do you do to make it that color?"

"I go outside." Well, it's true! "My work keeps me in the sun for most of the day."

"Well it suits you," Festa finished whatever she had been doing to the nails on my left hand. At that same time the third member of my prep team, Katina, finished with the other.

"How do your clothes not leave lines when you are in the sun?" Serna asked examining my nearly naked body.

"There is only one way to avoid that from happening." Serna raised his eyebrows like I was saying something scandalous and Katina blushed.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at them. I had expected to hate them. I wanted to hate them. But I couldn't. At most they were ten years older than me. They were some of the friendliest people that I had ever met. Had this not been The Hunger Games I am sure we would have been friends.

"And you have a genuine smile!" Festa beamed. "Much better than the usual scowl or smirk that tributes from your District normally have plastered on their faces."

I laughed, "My mom says that scowling causes wrinkles."

They laughed with me. "It does!" Katina pointed to her forehead, "right here."

A few minutes later they excused themselves, telling me that they had to go get good seats for the festivities and that Avaine, my stylist would be in soon.

I sat for maybe ten minutes in the now quite room and wondered what kind of getup Avaine would dress me in. Being from District One meant that my costume would probably be over the top; covered in expensive fabrics and jewels. I replayed the ceremonies that I remembered watching, hoping to get insight into my wardrobe but all I could remember about them was that they were ugly, covered in all of the things that the people of the Capital held so dear but meant only work to my district.

"You have no idea how excited I was when I first saw you during the Reapings!" A woman burst into the room. She must have been a foot shorter than me, her short hair arranged into spikes of varying colors.

I shot her a questioning look not sure if this was a good thing.

"It's hard to design attractive clothing for those hulking tributes. I made this gorgeous jacket out of the most expensive and coveted materials; the buttons were crystals. He was even bigger than he had looked during the Reaping and the first time he moved with it on he tore it to shreds!" Avaine recounted what was probably her most traumatic experience.

"That's terrible!" I did my best to sound upset for her.

"I stitched it back together the best that I could but I have never been so embarrassed!" She had begun to circle my half naked form. "Luca, how do you feel about nudity?"

What! The tributes are supposed to represent their district during the opening ceremony, what did nudity have to do with One?

"I try to avoid it when I'm in public." I hoped that she didn't expect me to parade around in front of the entire population of Panam in nothing but my birthday suit.

She stopped circling me and crossed the room to where something in large bag hung from the wall. I assumed that it held my outfit for the evening. I expected her to reach for it but instead she rummaged around in a bag that rested on the floor.

A wad of fabric flew at my head. "Put those on."

I unfolded it to find that it was underwear, tan, to give the appearance that I wasn't wearing any and man, did they look tight.

Glancing at Avaine to make sure she still had her back to me, she was unzipping the garment bag, I let the towel that I had secured around my waist drop to the floor and pulled on the underclothes. And in case you were wondering, it was a lot tighter than it looked. I hoped that whatever was in that bag was going to cover up a little more.

Awkwardly, I stood in the center of the room and waited as Avaine finished delicately removing my costume from its protective bag. From where I was, it looked like a tangled mass of black ribbon. Well, it could be worse.

She gently rested what I assumed were pants, on the floor and directed me to stand in the large loop at what I guessed was the waist. She then began to instruct my feet over and under the thin black material as she made sure it was going on correctly. Slowly but surely we were making progress. It wasn't until the pants were almost to my knees that I realized what they were made of. Avaine asked me to begin to slowly pull them up as she guided my feet through the loops and as my fingers toughed the material, I couldn't stop from myself smiling.

My costume was made from long strands of black lace, something that my mother and many of the women in my neighborhood, stitched by hand.

When I was younger, I used to sit next to her and watch her fingers fly as she created new patterns. I would look on with amazement as she transformed a long, unremarkable thread into a thing of beauty that someone would purchase and wear proudly.

"Careful," Avaine warned as I pulled the waist of the pants into their final position. "Hold still." She instructed before she began to rearrange where the lace rested in an intricate pattern of swirls and loops down my lower half.

"When you mentioned being naked, I was a little scared." I admitted.

She laughed, "I was only joking! I would never do that to someone. I might put them in something very revealing but I would never send them out in nothing." She secured the top edge of the pants to the flesh colored underwear. "Although I might if another person dares to rip one of my creations."

"I would never dream of it." I laughed with her.

Once the garment was to her approval, she reached for a smaller piece. "Left arm," she directed.

I stuck out my arm and she began to feed the lace around my arm. "We had to stock pile this lace for over a year to get enough for both your outfit and Gemma's. It's a very popular design here but unfortunately not much of it is made. Hold this."

My fingers pushed the half inch wide lace against my shoulder, holding it in place while she retrieved something from her bag. I took this time to examine the long strands that now incased my arm and legs. It was a beautiful pattern, most likely made by one of the women my mother worked with. The careful stitches and never faltering pattern was a sure sign of their magic fingers.

Something caught my eye. It was tiny but was definitely there. If you didn't know to look for it you would probably miss it but having seen her fingers make that same shape over and over again, it was unmistakable.

If you were to notice it, it would appear as though the maker had accidently added an extra stitch. She didn't. Lace was made in ten foot increments, to help her keep track of how much she had made; my mother developed a habit of adding one extra stitch on one of the loops every two feet.

The very lace that I was allowed to look at but never touch was now encircling my body and it felt wonderful!

"Do you hate it?" Avaine returned to find me still staring at the material.

I shook my head. "My mom made this." The words stuck in my throat and I had to put in effort to make them come out.

She smiled up at me, "Then this must be a sign of good luck!" She squeezed a drop of a clear liquid from a small green container onto my arm and pressed the lace to it. She repeated this process several times at my shoulder before taking a step back.

"Move around. I want to make sure nothing slides out of place."

I did as she instructed and walked a few laps around the room. I bent and stretched my legs and arm into positions that I was sure they would not be going into tonight just to make sure. Several times Avaine stopped me so that she could secure another spot with her bottle of liquid.

When she was positive that everything was secure and that I would not be unraveling during the ceremony, she suggested that we head down to where the chariots were to wait for Gemma.

We were alone in the elevator and since my prep team hadn't spent tons of time on me, I was worried that I would have to stand down there alone. Thankfully when I arrived there were already several tributes waiting by their chariots. There was a girl that appeared to be wearing a dress made out of seaweed, and a few steps away a boy and girls were quietly talking while covered in leaves.

In order to get to my chariot, which was positioned at the front of the line, I had to walk past them. As I did so, I offered them a smile only to receive glares.

They hated me. I would hate me too. I was from District One. It was no secret that we trained kids to compete in the Games, trained them to kill the children of the other Districts, just so that we could say that we were better than the others for a year. Sure, winning came with extra food for the District but we didn't need it. There was never a day where a resident of One went to bed hungry but by the looks of the past tributes from some of the other Districts, they could use the food.

They don't have to worry about me coming between them and victory. I had no desire to win, especially if it meant that others had to lose their lives. During my talk on the train with Patina this morning, I had come to terms with the fact that I would not be returning home alive. To say that this didn't frighten me would be a lie. I was petrified but if giving up my life meant that someone else would get the chance to live, I would do it with my head up.

My family had been destroyed the second Adina had been chosen to train. There was no going back. My fingers grazed the lace surrounding my arm as I thought of what was left of my family.

To pass the time, I made friends with one of the horses that would pull my chariot. One by one the other tributes arrived, some in the ugliest costumes you could imagine, like the pair that appeared to have leaves stuck on themselves, barely covering them.

Gemma was one of the last to arrive and when she did she stopped near the kids from Two and spent the rest of the waiting time with them. Her stylist had fashioned a short, tight, dress out of the lace that was wound thicker to cover certain parts and thinner in other places.

Finally, all of the other tributes arrived and Adaina approached me. "Time to go."

"Do I have to?" I asked in my best whine.

She laughed. "Don't play with the lace too much or it might shift." She grasped the hand that still touched the delicate stitching. Gemma approached us and I was half hoping that she would finally say something to me but no, she climbed directly onto the chariot and stared straight ahead.

"And try to enjoy yourself out there." She gave my hand a squeeze and I stepped onto the chariot just before it began to move through the tunnel.

It was like being punched in the face, something I had experienced plenty of times while fooling around with Iwan. As soon as the chariot began to emerge from the tunnel all I heard was the screams of thousands of people. Everywhere I looked, I saw citizens of the Capital. They were cheering for us, throwing flowers from above, waving frantically, they were excited to see us and I couldn't help but to smile and wave back.

We passed a screen and I glanced up to see my own face magnified a hundred times, I was surprised to see that I looked like I was enjoying myself which, in all honesty, I was. It was kind of fun to get this kind of attention, I knew that I would probably not be alive by this time next week so why not enjoy what is left of my time.

As we made our way down the street, I caught glimpses of the other tributes on the screens. Some of them, like myself seemed to be trying to make the most of their situation, most of them seemed terrified. Too petrified of the coming weeks to give into the Capitals little games. But the ones that disturbed me the most were the people who were enjoying themselves. Gemma, for one, was smiling for the first time and blowing kisses to the people on the streets who were falling over each other in an effort to get her attention.

By the time that we reached the city circle the sun had finished setting. Despite the lack of sun, the circle was flooded with lights. Our chariot came to a halt in front of the President's mansion. President Snow appeared above us on a high balcony. He was shorter than I expected, with jet black hair, and I smile that made my stomach turn. The crowd in the circle stopped cheering long enough to listen as Snow welcomed us to the Capital and preformed the traditional opening ceremony speech. His voice rang throughout the circle, magnified by the speakers positioned along the streets. As his final words faded into the night, the national anthem played and the cheering started up again.

The chariots made one last lap of the circle before heading through a narrow passageway into the Training Center. The second we come to a stop, Gemma hopped off of the chariot and headed directly for the elevator.

I was tempted to run to catch up to her but I figured that she already hated me enough and that it would be best for me to stay out of her way entirely. I waited for her elevator door to close before I made my way over.

Patina greeted me as I stepped onto our floor. The first thing she did was to admire my outfit from up close, the second was to give me a tour. It was a lot bigger than I had expected but as she stressed, she and Brutus had agreed to divide the floor so that neither he nor Gemma would have to deal with me. Okay, so maybe she didn't word it exactly like that but that was the general idea. Gemma and Brutus would be taking all of their meals in the living room, while Patina and I would watch the recaps from a second television that was set up in the dining area.

I was left alone in my quarters to pass the time before dinner. With nothing better to do, I decided to play around with the things in the room. On a table there was a menu with pages and pages of items on it, I ignored this for now and headed for the window. Our floor was just above street level so I couldn't see much in the way of buildings but I had a front row seat for people watching. In a dresser I found a few sets of simple clothing and set about unwrapping myself from Adina's creation.

Just as I was pulling the shirt over my head, Patina knocked on my door to announce dinner. I did my best to fold the lace clothing and placed it on a chair before joining her.

The long table was covered in dishes of foods that smelt amazing. Some of them I recognized from back home but most of them were new to me. Lamorac and Adina were already filling up their plates and I didn't hesitate to join them.

There wasn't much conversation during dinner and by the time that I put my fork down there was no way that I could fit anymore in me.

"Tomorrow is the first day of training." Patina spoke up. "Since you have no training yet, I suggest you stay away from the weapons for now. Concentrate on learning survival skills, eatable plants, knot tying, camouflage; those skills are the ones that are going to benefit you the most."

"Wouldn't being able to use a knife help?" I asked, wondering why she wanted me to be defenseless.

"You can count on Gemma and the others to come after you first. Tributes from One have a record of becoming the leaders of the pack and seeing as how you messed up Brutus and Gemma's plans, it would be best if you knew how to keep yourself hidden and safe until they start fighting among themselves."

She had a point. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be the first on their list of targets. It wasn't because I was a threat; it was because I was an annoyance.

Patina continued to explain which skills would come in most helpful and what things I should pay more attention to during training. Lamorac and Adina interjected with stories of instances where specific skill saved a tributes life to help emphasize why I should learn them.

As much as I hate to admit it, they were all right. There was no way that I would be able to fight for myself. Sure I might be able to take down one of the weaker tributes from one of the higher districts but against Gemma and those from Two or Four I might as well be a bug.

Once they were convinced that I understood the importance of what they were telling me, Lamorac excused himself to go join the others in the living room. Shortly after he left, the capital seal appeared on the television screen. We watched as my chariot exited the tunnel and made its way down the streets. The camera focused on me for a few seconds before moving on to Gemma and the other tributes.

As I watched I tried to figure out who the other tributes were. What kind of family did they come from, what was their favorite food? I knew this was dangerous because the more you get to know them the more they become people and the more you get attached to them and the harder it is to kill them. I had seen this plenty of times in past games. Tributes develop friendships but since this is a fight to the death, someone at some point has to kill their friend. This wasn't going to be a problem for me though because I wouldn't be the one doing the killing.

We watched Snow give his welcome again and I was sure that they had rerecorded parts of it where he had faltered or the words had not come out clear enough. Wouldn't want to make the President seem anything less than perfect, would we?

Once the broadcast ended, I excused myself and headed for my room. It had been a long two days and I wanted nothing more than a few minutes alone. Two days ago I was on a wooden platform attached to the side of a mountain, now I was in the middle of the Capital lying on the most comfortable bed that I had ever felt.

I tried to plan out what skills I would try out first tomorrow but as soon as I started thinking about whether knowing which plants I could eat or how to tie knots would help me more, my eyes started to close. Instead of trying to fight it, I pulled back the sheets and climbed in, clothes and all.


End file.
